Nepal witnessed its most violent youth-led protests in years after the government banned 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and X, on September 4. The move triggered the country’s deadliest youth uprising, led by 36-year-old Sudan Gurung, president of Hami Nepal, a youth-led NGO that has grown into a powerful civic force.

Who is Sudan Gurung

Gurung, once an event organiser, turned to activism after the 2015 earthquake, in which he lost his child. That tragedy changed his life, pushing him into disaster relief and grassroots movements. Over time, he emerged as a key youth leader, previously leading Dharan’s “Ghopa Camp” protest demanding transparency at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. Today, he has become a voice of Nepal’s Gen Z, rallying young people to fight for their digital rights and freedom of expression.

Before the ban, Hami Nepal actively used social media to share protest routes and safety tips. After the blackout, Gurung urged students to join demonstrations in school uniforms carrying books, turning rallies into a symbol of peaceful resistance.

On Monday, thousands of young protesters, many of them students, gathered outside Nepal’s Parliament in Kathmandu. The rallies soon turned into violent clashes after demonstrators breached the complex. Police responded with water cannons, tear gas, and even live bullets, leaving at least 20 people dead and over 300 injured. The unrest spread to several other cities, including Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Itahari, and Damak.

As the crisis escalated, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned, while the army was deployed around Parliament. Hospitals in Kathmandu, including the Civil Hospital and Trauma Centre, were overwhelmed with casualties, forcing many to refer patients elsewhere.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli defended the move as “regulation” rather than censorship and blamed “unwanted elements” for the violence. However, after an emergency Cabinet meeting, Communication Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung announced the ban would be lifted, restoring access to social media platforms.

For many young Nepalis, the lifting of the ban feels like a victory led by Sudan Gurung,  a grassroots activist who transformed grief into leadership, and who now stands at the heart of a generation demanding both digital freedom and political accountability.